Cubs appear intent on getting it right second time around

June 15, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein greets reporters before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With a little over two weeks until the self-imposed deadline Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein put in place to have the managerial vacancy resolved, there is still not even a resemblance of a clear consensus on who the team may choose.

Reports yesterday indicated that both Rick Renteria and A.J. Hinch would interview for a second time sometime next week, while rumors of Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo remain a very real possibility as well. With no further mention of Tampa Bay Bench coach Dave Martinez, it appears Joe Maddon‘s right-hand man has slipped back in the field, while the addition of former Seattle manager Eric Wedge only complicates things further.

CSN Chicago Cubs Insider Patrick Mooney poses an interesting idea in his latest work, part of which focuses on Lovullo, and which other teams may be vying for his services after the Fall Classic concludes.

If it comes to this, the questions become: Are the Cubs willing to wait until after Lovullo rides on the duck boat during the championship parade? And could Lovullo — who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers out of UCLA in 1987 — become a serious candidate to replace Jim Leyland?

The better part of a month has gone by, and yet no clear frontrunner has emerged from the field. Will the Cubs end up settling for their second choice if they wait for Lovullo? With a potential Game Seven scheduled for the last day of October, they could be pushing their luck.